


get my name stitched on your lips

by likewinning



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Retail, M/M, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-08-21
Packaged: 2018-04-16 09:16:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4619910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likewinning/pseuds/likewinning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You're not gonna turn down an orphan on his <em>birthday</em>, right?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	get my name stitched on your lips

"Oh, no way," Dinah says. She glares at Dick, then looks Jason up and down. "At least with you, you could _pass_ for eighteen. I'm not inking anyone who looks too young to see over a steering wheel."

"I'm -" Jason starts, but Dick puts his hand over Jason's mouth, bats his lashes at Dinah and says, "Come on, Dinah, it's his _birthday_ and I promised him. You're not gonna turn down an orphan on his _birthday_ , right?"

Jason tries not to laugh. It's kind of amazing to watch Dick manipulate people like this without even _trying_. Just about any time Dick's forgotten his homework, or forgotten to ask Jason to do it for him, he's still gotten away with an extension from teachers because no one can fucking say no to him.

"Dickie, it's -" Jason starts, but Dinah rolls her eyes and snaps, "Fine. I'll do it." She stabs her finger into Dick's chest, says, "But I'm not doing it for you, Grayson. Just because you have killer cheekbones doesn't mean you get away with everything."

Jason kind of loves her.

Dinah has another client before she can get Jason in, so he and Dick sit on the couch at the front of the shop, flipping through pages of artwork. "There you go," Dick says, reaching over Jason to point at a drawing of a robin. It looks a little like the one he has on his wrist but bigger, brighter. "You could get one to match me."

Jason elbows him in the side. "Fuck off," he says. "What if I grow up and move away and decide I hate your guts?"

"Neeeever gonna happen," Dick says. He ruffles Jason's hair, tugs at the new cartilage piercing Jason got a couple weeks ago with his first paycheck. "You love me way too much."

"Whatever, asshole," Jason says, but he feels himself blushing because he knows it's true. Dick makes him fucking crazy, makes him want to pull his hair out sometimes (most of the time), but he knows if anyone's going to leave – it'll be Dick.

"Wait," Dick says. He points to another drawing, moves Jason's hand out of the way to see the whole thing. "This one," he says.

"Yeah?" Jason says. Dick has that serious look in his eyes, the one Jason only sees when they watch stupid romcoms and Dick starts worrying halfway through that the two main characters are never going to make it work.

"Yeah," Dick says.

"Okay," Jason says. He leaves the book open, sets it down on the coffee table. "Where?" 

"Hm," Dick says. He looks Jason over, and Jason hates how warm it makes him feel, makes him want to tackle Dick down to the couch and not come up for air for hours. They haven't talked about any of what's been going on, haven't talked about how Dick's still dating girls, still hanging out with Kori or Barb or Jess and then dragging Jason out to parties on the weekend, getting drunk and kissing Jason until Jason's not sure he ever wants to talk to anyone else again.

"Right here," Dick says, brushing his fingertips over Jason's ribs. Jason licks his lips, says, "Okay."

*

"It's gonna hurt," Dinah tells him before they get started. She gets her station ready, Slayer playing in the background, Dick babbling about the art on the walls every ten seconds when he finds something new that he likes.

"I'll be fine," Jason tells her.

"Uh-huh," Dinah says. "That's what _this_ one said, and then -"

" _Dinah_ ," Dick says. "Isn't there some kind of artist-client confidentiality clause or something?"

"You're right," Dinah says, smiling sweetly at him, but later when she gets started, she tells Jason, "He cried. Like a little baby. I thought he was going to ask for a lollipop when we were done."

"You _should_ have lollipops here," Dick says. He turns from the wall, looks over at Jason and winks. "How you doing over there, kid?"

"Fine," Jason says. He's gripping the arms of the chair so hard he's leaving dents in it, and Dinah's only just finishing up the outline. "Feels great."

"Uh-huh," Dick says. He scoots up a chair by Jason, leans over to watch Dinah as she works.

"Maybe I'll get some coloring books, too," Dinah comments. "You know, for when people bring actual _children_ in here."

Dick sticks his tongue out at her, and Jason pushes his face out of the way, but he doesn't protest when Dick takes one of his hands in his and lets him squeeze.

"Next time," Dick says. "We'll have a couple of drinks before we go. Neither of us will feel a thing."

"That's what I love," Dinah mutters. "A bunch of drunk, underage idiots in my shop. Jason, shut your boy up before I make him wait outside."

"He's not -" Jason starts, but Dick leans forward and kisses him on the cheek, smelling like pink Starbursts and the cherry chapstick Jason _knows_ Dick stole from him.

Dinah looks up at them for a minute, then gets back to work.

*

It takes an hour altogether. It would've taken less, but Dick makes Dinah stop halfway through, tells her she's only allowed to carve into so much of Jason at a time. Dinah goes out to have a cigarette, and Dick traces his fingers over the spot above the tattoo. "How's it feel?" Dick asks. Jason's about to tell him it hurts, that they should've picked a less painful spot, but then Dick moves his hand over Jason's heart and Jason says, "It's all right."

When they're done, Dinah goes over aftercare and covers the ink up in plastic, tells Jason not to scratch it like _some_ dumbasses she knows and then promises Dick that if he brings one more underage punk in, she'll tear his ink off with her bare hands.

"Dinah," Dick says. "You don't have bear hands. For a tattoo lady, your hands are really delicate."

Dinah punches him. Jason pays Dinah, thanks her, and drags Dick out of the shop before he can sustain any more injuries.

"You should've let me pay," Dick tells him. "I wanted to, for your birthday."

"You don't need to do that," Jason says. "You do enough."

Dick looks at him for a while like he's not sure. Then he pushes Jason's shirt up, looks at the ink beneath the plastic again, a bluebird with a thick black outline, wings spread out. "Dick?" Jason asks, but Dick doesn't say anything, just circles Jason's hips with his hands, presses him back against the brick wall and kisses him. His tongue swipes across Jason's bottom lip and his hair brushes Jason's forehead, and Jason tries not to be too hungry, too eager, tries not to take it for anything more than it is.

The door behind them opens with a clang of bells, and Dinah says, "Oh, great. Now I look like I'm running an underage brothel, too."

Dick giggles against his mouth before they break apart, and then Dick tugs on his hand and says, "Come on. At _least_ let me buy you an ice cream or something."


End file.
